Nurture the Everyday Virtue of Courage
RAISING COURAGEOUS KIDS
Eight Steps to Practical Heroism
Charles A. Smith
P.O. Box 428
Notre Dame, IN 46556-0428
ISBN: 1-893732-76-2
Parenting/ Trade Paper/ 5.5 x 8.5 / 224 pages/ $14.95
September, 2004
Our children’s lives are filled with countless opportunities, both big and small, to
make a difference in the world. And sooner or later, they will face adversity when
we cannot be there to help them. Perhaps there will be a bully to deal with at
school, an offer of drugs, or a life-threatening accident, attack, or illness. But eventually, in some way, life will demand that our children face fear, make choices, and take
action. In this groundbreaking guide for parents, Charles Smith shows how to nurture the virtue of everyday courage in children. He explains how courage develops
in eight stages from birth to early adolescence. And he provides solid information
and practical ideas to help nurture courage at every one of those stages. Illustrating
his points with the inspiring stories of real-life young heroes, Smith shows parents
that while we can’t protect our children from every conceivable peril, we can prepare them to face challenges with courage throughout their lives.
Can we raise children to have the courage to perform a life-risking rescue?
Unknown, perhaps, but Professor Smith gives parents the power to develop children
with the courage to rise to a lifetime of challenges. A truly wonderful gift.
—Douglas R. Chambers,
Managing Director, Carnegie Hero Fund Commission
About the Author
Charles A. Smith is a professor and parent educator in the School of Family Studies and Human Services at
Kansas State University. He is an award-winning state extension specialist who has designed a number of parent
education programs used by educators throughout the United States. He holds a BS in psychology from the
University of Dayton and both an MS and PhD in child development from Purdue University. Smith has created
board and card games, television programs, online educational resources, and several websites for parents and
parent educators including, raisingcourageouskids.com
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Published by:
P.O. Box 428 / Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-0428
Phone: 1-800-282-1865 / Fax: 1-800-282-5681 / E-mail: avemariapress.1@nd.edu
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Our greatest monuments to those who take
risks and make sacrifices on behalf of others
are not made of stone, steel, and glass. They
are not found in parks, on city streets, or in
public buildings. The greatest monument
is an enduring shift in the human spirit, a
transformation made possible by the caring
of others.
—Charles A. Smith
Nurturing Courage in Children
Find Out Why
Find Out How
Find Out Today
Presentations and
In-service Programs
For Parents, Educators,
Children, and Communities
Visit www.raisingcourageouskids.com
for more information!
WHY THINK ABOUT COURAGE?
• Alana Franklin rescues a six-year-old boy from a gunman
who invaded his home.
• Fallon Richards pulls a bedridden elderly man to safety
during a fire in his mobile home.
• Terreatha Barnes rescues two children from a runaway
vehicle by leaping into it and pushing the brake with her
hands.
What do these people have in common? In addition to
being remarkably courageous, all three were either eleven or
twelve years old when they performed these amazing acts of
heroism.
Young people are as capable of heroism as adults, and while
exceptional circumstances may prompt an act of courage, our
children are called to courage everyday in less astonishing
ways: facing a bully at school; speaking out against making
fun of another student; coming to terms with a life
threatening illness; facing the loss of a loved one.
Yet, children are not born with courage. Threads of
integrity, devotion, power, honor, and valor are woven into
the tapestry of their lives from the moment they are born. In
his groundbreaking book, Raising Courageous Kids: Eight
Steps to Practical Heroism, Charles A. Smith, PhD, shows
parents and educators how to nurture the virtue of everyday
courage in children. He explains how courage develops in
eight steps from birth to the teen years and provides practical
ideas for each stage.
Professor Smith has created five programs based on
the eight-step model found in Raising Courageous Kids.
These presentations are designed specifically for parents,
educators, or students. Each presentation explains the nature,
development, and significance of courage and true heroism,
as well as its relationship to the emergence of conscience.
Contact Professor Smith today for a program tailored
especially for parents, educators, students, or family life
professionals in your community.
Charles A. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor and Extension Specialist
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas 66506
Telephone: (785) 532-5773
Email: casmith@ksu.edu
1 RAISING COURAGEOUS KIDS
A one- to two-hour presentation for parents, youth & family
professionals, and the media
Setting: libraries, bookstores, schools, churches
Participants will learn:
• What courage is and why it is significant
• How courage originates early in life
• How parents & caregivers shape courage
• The meaning of true heroism
• The nature of practical heroism
• Eight steps to practical heroism
COURAGEOUS KIDS FOR
4 SCHOOLS
A six-hour in-service for early childhood and elementary
school teachers and administrators
Settings – schools, churches, libraries, community centers
Participants will learn:
• How to incorporate lessons about courage and heroism
into their curriculum
• How to use group activities and story time to teach
children about courage and heroism
• How to devise a strategy for recognizing courage in their
schools
• How to nurture courage in the classroom with the eightstep approach
2 COURAGE AND SPIRITUALITY
A 20-minute to one-hour presentation for adults & teens
Settings: Churches and community centers. Designed
to be incorporated into another event, such as a
retreat, youth day, Sunday school class, church service
Participants will learn:
• How to incorporate the principles described in Raising
Courageous Kids into parent education programs
Participant materials:
COURAGEOUS KIDS FOR
5 FAMILY LIFE PROFESSIONALS
A six-hour in-service for social service and extension
professionals, social service professionals, parent educators,
and clergy
Settings – schools, churches, libraries, community centers
Participants will learn how to:
• Incorporate lessons about courage and heroism into
parent education programs
• Help families teach children about courage and heroism
with family activities and story time
• Help parents use the eight-step approach to nurturing
courage
• Lead and evaluate workshops for parents and other
caregivers on raising courageous kids
Participant materials:
• A Raising Courageous Kids approach to parent education
• Twenty Ideas for Using Raising Courageous Kids in Parent
Education
• Developmental Milestones of Courage – 260 achievements
from birth to age 12 in a large format edition
• Developmental Milestones of Courage – 260 achievements
from birth to age 12 in a large format edition
• The Challenge to Valor card game
• The Challenge to Valor card game
Outline:
Outline:
• The relationship between spirituality & courage
• The developmental significance of fear
• The developmental significance of fear
• How spirituality is an important element in heroism
• The neurobiology of fear and conscience
• The neurobiology of fear and conscience
• Fear, panic, and emotional hijacking
• Fear, panic, and emotional hijacking
• The relationship between courage and conscience
• The relationship between courage and conscience
• Heroism: courage in service to integrity
• Heroism: courage in service to integrity
• From power to valor: The eight steps
• From power to valor: The eight steps
• Risk assessment and the Circle of Valor
• Risk assessment and the Circle of Valor
Settings: School assemblies, community centers
• Incorporating lessons in courage and heroism into your
curriculum
• Incorporating lessons in courage and heroism into parent
education
Participants will:
• Courage as an antidote to bullying
• Nurturing courage in parent-child relationships
• Learn about the relationship between fear and courage
• Nurturing courage in teacher-child relationships
• Hear stories about remarkably courageous youth
• How teachers can use the Developmental Milestones of
Courage
• Creating parent education programs based on Raising
Courageous Kids
3 A TIME FOR HEROISM
A one-hour school assembly for elementary, middle, and
junior high school students
• Relate these examples of heroism to their own lives
• How parents can use the Developmental Milestones of
Courage
• Learn to make courageous choices and manage the
consequences
Or visit: www.raisingcourageouskids.com
Charles A. Smith is a professor and parent educator in the School of Family
Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University. He is an awardwinning state extension specialist who has designed a number of parent
education programs used by educators throughout the United States. He
holds a BS in psychology from the University of Dayton and both an
MS and PhD in child development from Purdue University. Smith has
created board and card games, television programs, online educational
resources, and several websites for parents and parent educators, including
raisingcourageouskids.com
To learn more about these
innovative and exciting
programs, contact:
Charles A. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor and Extension Specialist
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas 66506
Telephone: (785) 532-5773
Email: casmith@ksu.edu
Or visit:www.raisingcourageouskids.com
Raising Courageous
Kids is available at
bookstores, online
retailers, and from
the publisher. Use
the order form or call
1-800-282-1865.